WHO urges vigilance against fake COVID-19 vaccines

The  World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the public of the danger of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines and urged people not to procure jabs outside of government channels.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, March 26, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation was aware of reports of governments receiving suspicious offers for COVID-19 vaccine supplies. Some of these could be linked to organised crime, while the integrity of the supply chains behind such vaccines could not be verified, Tedros warned.

“We urge all people not to buy vaccines outside government-run vaccination programs. Any vaccine outside these programmes may be substandard or falsified, with the potential to cause serious harm,” the WHO head said.

Vaccines procured from illicit channels may be falsified or improperly stored, threatening public safety and confidence in COVID-19 vaccination programmes, he added. The WHO also said it was aware of reports of criminal groups reusing empty vaccine vials, and urged authorities to dispose of all vials safely after use.

Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, international authorities have been tackling the flow of counterfeit or fraudulent COVID-19-related products, including test kits and face masks.

Tedros has also called for governments to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, arguing that a “me first” approach would not be capable of defeating the pandemic.

Speaking earlier this month, Tedros urged governments and patent owners to back an IP waiver, which ultimately failed to gain the support of higher-income nations at a meeting of the World Trade Organization.

“Whether it’s dose sharing, tech transfer or voluntary licensing, as the WHO’s own Covid-19 Technology Access Pool initiative encourages, or waiving IP rights, as South Africa and  India have suggested, we need to pull out all the stops,” he said.

The WHO is leading efforts to distribute vaccines to lower-income countries through the Covax scheme, which has seen 32 million doses delivered to 60 participants, according to the global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi).

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